Doris Germain, PhD

Titles: Professor, Medicine, Hematology & Medical Oncology, Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Mechanisms (CM)

Dr. Germain’s research focuses on breast cancer and age-related diseases. Her research team was the first to establish a laboratory model of pregnancy-associated breast cancer and identify the mechanism by which breastfeeding is protective against breast cancer. Dr. Germain is currently conducting a project in collaboration with the Department of Obstetrics to expand her interest in the protective effect of breastfeeding against breast and ovarian cancers. Her research has led to multiple clinical trials and the discovery of novel pathways regulating metastasis.

Hanna Yoko Irie, MD, PhD

Languages spoken: English, Japanese, Spanish
Titles: Associate Professor, Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Mechanisms (CM)

Dr. Irie is a medical oncologist specializing in the care of patients with breast cancer, with a special focus on improving care for patients with aggressive breast cancers for whom treatment options are limited. In addition to patient care, she directs a lab-based translational breast cancer research program. Her laboratory focuses on identifying novel therapeutic targets for breast cancer, particularly for treatment-resistant breast cancers, and understanding the mechanisms by which these candidate genes regulate breast tumor cell behavior. Research from her lab has identified several novel proteins that can be targeted to suppress the growth of drug-resistant breast cancers that do not respond to current treatments. She is collaboratively translating these novel compounds to clinical trials for the benefit of breast cancer patients.

Jian Jin, PhD

Titles: Professor, Therapeutics Discovery, Oncological Sciences, Pharmacological Sciences, Neuroscience; Director, Mount Sinai Center for Therapeutics Discovery; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 
Research Program: Cancer Clinical Investigation (CCI)

Dr. Jin is an internationally recognized medicinal chemist and chemical biologist with more than 20 years of experience in small-molecular drug discovery. His research focuses on developing novel therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and brain disorders. During the past several years, Dr. Jin and his collaborators have successfully developed many novel compounds, called new chemical entities, including an innovative experimental therapy that may be able to stop the growth of triple-negative breast cancer, which is the deadliest type of breast cancer. Dr. Jin’s work has resulted in many high impact publications and patent applications.

E. Premkumar Reddy, PhD

Titles: Professor, Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Clinical Investigation (CCI)

Dr. Reddy conducts research that focuses on improving the survival, care and quality of life for cancer. He is currently engaged in developing targeted therapies for breast, lung and blood (myeloid leukemia) cancers that exhibit little or no side effects but are able to block the growth and spread of cancers. Several of the drugs developed by Dr. Reddy are in clinical trials.

Joseph A. Sparano, MD, FACP

Titles: Professor, Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Clinical Investigation (CCI)

Joseph A. Sparano, MD, FACP is the Ezra M. Greenspan, M.D. Professor in Clinical Cancer Therapeutics, Chief of the Division of Hematology Oncology, and Deputy Director of the Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. He is a medical oncologist and clinical researcher who whose research has focused on using the most advanced diagnostic testing to guide breast cancer treatment, and developing better treatments for patients with breast cancer, lymphoma, and HIV-associated cancers. He currently serves as Deputy Chair of ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group and Chair of the AIDS Malignancy Consortium, which are clinical research organizations funded by the National Cancer Institute to perform large-scale multicenter clinical trials designed to improve the improved the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer.

Tracy Layne, PhD, MPH

Titles: Assistant Professor, Population Health Science and Policy, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science; Faculty Member, Blavatnik Family Women’s Health Research Institute; Director of Mentorship Development, Center for Scientific Diversity; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC)

Dr. Layne is a cancer epidemiologist with a background and interest in racial and ethnic cancer disparities across the cancer continuum. Her research seeks to understand the individual and collective impact of well established (e.g., obesity and diabetes) and less explored (e.g., vitamin D status) risk factors on hormonally driven malignancies -- such as endometrial and prostate cancers -- in populations of African descent. By collaborating with faculty across multiple disciplines and institutions on a range of clinical, epidemiological, and socioeconomic issues, Dr. Layne’s work aims to narrow gaps in long-standing cancer health disparities research.

Bian Liu, PhD

Languages spoken: English, Mandarin Chinese
Titles: Associate Professor, Population Health Science & Policy, Environmental Medicine & Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC)

Dr. Liu is a cancer epidemiologist whose research focuses on geospatial and disparity patterns, and environmental exposures to pollutants. She applies statistical and machine learning methods to better understand how the environment affects health outcomes. She is currently leading a project that aims to develop a large multi-dimensional database for cancer patients to reconstruct their residential histories and identify potential environmental exposure and socioeconomic risk profiles. Data from this study will contribute to better understanding of the role environment plays in mesothelioma disease development.

Weiva Sieh, MD, PhD, MS

Titles: Associate Professor, Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Population Health Science and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC)

Dr. Sieh is a genetic epidemiologist who studies hormone-related cancers such as breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers. Her research focuses on identifying genetic and lifestyle factors underlying cancer susceptibility and outcomes. Dr. Sieh’s work has provided novel insights into the genetic underpinnings of mammographic breast density, and the relationship of mammographic density and other imaging features with breast cancer risk.

Emanuela Taioli MD, PhD

Titles: Director, Institute for Translational Epidemiology; Associate Director, Tisch Cancer Institute; Professor, Population Health Science and Policy, Thoracic Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC)

Dr. Taioli has made notable contributions in the field of cancer prevention, which has consisted of the study of cancer risk factors in healthy populations, cancer predisposing factors, hormone metabolism, and genetic susceptibility to environmental exposure. She is currently involved in a long-standing collaboration with Hampton University, focused on cutting edge genetics and genomics aspects of cancer, with a specific emphasis on disparities. She is also working on cancer risk in World Trade center responders. Prior to Mt. Sinai, Dr. Taioli was the Chief of Epidemiology at the Northwell Health System/Hofstra School of Medicine. She is a pioneer in pooling large datasets, and established the first international pooled analysis on gene environment interaction and cancer risk. Dr. Taioli has always been involved in community partnership, by working extensively on health disparities research, access to care in minority populations, and chronic disease prevention in underserved communities.

Susan Teitelbaum, PhD

Titles: Professor, Environmental Medicine & Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC)

Dr. Teitelbaum is an environmental and cancer epidemiologist with an interest in environmental risk factors for disease, in particular, the combined effect of multiple exposures.  Her research focuses on the impact of environmental exposures in World Trade Center responder health, in childhood growth and development, and in breast cancer. Dr. Teitelbaum’s work showed elevated leukemia incidence in World Health Center rescue and recovery workers compared to the general population. Throughout her career, she has worked with breast cancer advocates and successfully communicated the intricacies of epidemiologic studies and their research findings to the lay public.

Juan Wisnivesky, MD, DrPH

Languages spoken: English, Spanish
Titles: Professor, Medicine, General Internal Medicine; Chief, Division of General Internal Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC)

Dr. Wisnivesky is a pulmonologist and clinical epidemiologist whose research focuses on asthma, cancer epidemiology and outcomes research. Using population-based cancer registries he has published important studies to address issues related to screening, diagnosis, and treatment disparities in patients with lung cancer. Since 2020, Dr. Wisnivesky has been leading the Mount Sinai Health System Post-COVID-19 Registry, assessing the long-term outcomes of COVID-19 patients, and potential treatment and prevention strategies.

Zeynep Gümüş, PhD

Languages spoken: English (near-native), Turkish (native), Spanish (beginner), French (beginner), German (beginner)
Titles: Assistant Professor, Genetics and Genomic Sciences; Faculty Member, Precision Immunology Institute & Center for Thoracic Oncology; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC)

Dr. Gümüş conducts research on computational cancer genomics. Her lab uses computational methods and tools to identify genetic biomarkers that drive cancer risk, development and progression. To understand such genetic factors, we need to find new routes to analyze, integrate and explore diverse, massive and heterogeneous datasets. Towards this goal, her research lab utilizes genomic epidemiology, computational genomics and ultrafast computing. Currently her lab focuses primarily on lung cancer. Dr. Gümüş was awarded an NIH Cancer Moonshot Initiative grant that will support the development of a user-friendly, web-based interactive tool, PRIMAVO, to explore massive datasets from clinical trials for cancer immunotherapy.

Kuan-lin Huang, PhD

Languages spoken: English, Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese
Titles: Assistant Professor, Genetics and Genomic Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Mechanisms (CM)

Dr. Huang’s research links human genomes to personalized disease risks and treatment targets. His team achieves this by using big data to decode the disease-driving mutations. More, they build machine-learning models that can accurately predict disease risks and treatments using the full genome profile. By comparing genomic data in tens of thousands of cancer patients, his lab has identified key mutations that will lead to different treatment opportunities in patients of different age groups and ancestries. 

Pei Wang, PhD

Languages spoken: English, Chinese (Mandarin)
Titles: Professor, Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Clinical Investigation (CCI)

Dr. Wang’s research focuses on developing statistical and computational tools that translate billions of data points about diseases like cancer into answers about their cause. She is a team member of the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium that aims to understand the molecular basis of cancer through large-scale proteome and genome analysis. Dr. Wang is one of the lead investigators of the newly established Proteogenomics Data Analysis Center at Mount Sinai. The Center will work to identify potential biomarkers and drug targets for cancer that will help accelerate cancer research.

Celina Ang, MD

Languages spoken:  English, French (conversational), Spanish (conversational)
Titles: Associate Professor, Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Clinical Investigation (CCI)

Dr. Ang specializes in the care of patients with gastrointestinal malignancies, including cancers of the esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, bile ducts, colorectum and anus. Her expertise includes hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy for the treatment of individuals with liver metastases from colon cancer as well as primary liver cancer.  She has led multiple clinical trials evaluating novel therapeutic agents and approaches in gastrointestinal malignancies. As a research mentor, Dr. Ang continues to train future generations of physicians and provide guidance on exemplary patient care.

Andrea Branch, PhD

Titles: Professor, Medicine, Liver Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC)

Dr. Branch conducts research on viral hepatitis, including hepatitis C and HIV, hepatocellular carcinoma, and the immunobiology of the human liver, using both basic and translational approaches. She has numerous publications on the clinical outcomes of hepatitis C treatments, viral and human genomics in liver diseases and risk factors in detection of hepatocellular carcinomas. She has a long-standing interest in environmental health and has studied the risks of environmental exposure such as proximity to superfund toxic waste sites and the World Trade Center as they relate to the development of liver disease.

Josep M Llovet, MD, PhD, FAASLD

Titles: Professor, Medicine; Director, Mount Sinai Liver Cancer Program, Division of Liver Diseases, Tisch Cancer Institute; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Clinical Investigation (CCI)

Prof. Josep M Llovet, MD, PhD has devoted his career studying the pathogenesis and treatment of liver cancer. His clinical research contributed to the establishment of sorafenib, regorafenib, ramucirumab and chemoembolization as the standard of care in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). His group discovered novel drivers as therapeutic targets and described the molecular and immune classification of HCC. He was founder (in 2005) and Director of the Mount Sinai Liver Cancer Program; founder and President of the International Liver Cancer Association; Chairman of the EASL CPG of management of HCC and President of the AASLD-SIG of Hepatobiliary neoplasia.  He has published ~335 articles and has been recognized as Top-1% cited researcher from 2014 to 2021.

Amaia Lujambio, PhD

Titles: Associate Professor, Oncological Sciences, Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Programs: Cancer Immunology (CI); Cancer Mechanisms (CM)

Dr. Lujambio is an Associate Professor at the Oncological Sciences department and part of the Tisch Cancer Institute. Her research is focused on identifying personalized therapies for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most frequent type of liver cancer. Her laboratory creates and utilizes mouse models of liver cancer that closely recapitulate characteristics of the same disease in patients to better understand the underlying mechanisms and identify and test novel therapies.

Myron Schwartz, MD

Languages spoken: English, Spanish, Hebrew, Mandarin
Titles: The Henry Kaufmann Professor of Surgery; Director, Liver Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Programs: Cancer Clinical Investigation (CCI); Cancer Immunology (CI)

Dr. Schwartz is a world-renowned liver surgeon with extensive expertise in hepatic resection and transplantation for liver cancer. As one of the country’s leading experts in liver cancer, his clinical efforts have put Mount Sinai at the forefront of liver cancer clinical care and clinical/translational research. He is also the Director of the Center of Excellence for Liver and Bile Duct Cancer, where he oversees a team of experts who provide state-of-the-art cancer treatment and comprehensive care personalized for the unique needs of the patients.

Daniela Sia, PhD

Titles: Assistant Professor, Division of Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Mechanisms (CM)

Dr. Sia’s research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms driving biliary tract cancers, which include both cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder cancer. Her lab has made significant contributions towards the understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of biliary tract cancers by using genomics and high-throughput sequencing technology. Research from her lab showed how genetic differences in cancer cells and the surrounding tissues affect the behavior of the cancer. The goal of her lab is to identify novel therapeutic targets for the effective treatment of biliary tract cancers.

Augusto Villanueva, MD, PhD

Titles: Associate Professor, Medicine, Liver Diseases, Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Clinical Investigation (CCI)

Dr. Villanueva is a translational researcher in the cancers of the liver and specializes in the treatment of patients with liver cancer, cirrhosis, hepatitis, and alcoholic liver disease. His work centers on incorporating molecular information from tumors into tools that can be applied in the clinical setting to improve prognosis predictions, and developing novel methods for early detection of liver cancer. He has helped develop biomarkers, which enable earlier diagnosis of cancer and guide treatment decisions. His research involving liquid biopsy and intratumoral heterogeneity has generated new insights into liver cancer evolution and treatment resistance.

Christopher Woodrell, MD

Titles: Assistant Professor, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC)

Dr. Woodrell is a health services researcher; board certified internist and palliative care physician. His research focuses on developing and testing early palliative care interventions for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, and their family caregivers. His research goal is to create and implement palliative care programs tailored to the specific needs of patients with advanced liver disease and liver cancer. 

Deborah B. Doroshow, MD, PhD

Titles: Assistant Professor, Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Clinical Investigation (CCI)

Dr. Doroshow is Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She divides her clinical practice and research between the Early Phase Trials Unit, where she sees patients with a variety of solid tumors on phase 1 and 2 trials of novel agents, and the Center for Thoracic Oncology, where she sees patients with lung cancer. Her research focuses on the use of novel targeted therapies to treat cancer. She is passionate about her role as a guide to patients and families at a difficult time and making cancer less scary by talking about it in plain language. Clinical trials allow patients to try novel medications but can also be unfamiliar, and she is lucky to work with a team of clinicians who work to make the clinical trials process more accessible to patients.

Claudia Henschke, PhD, MD

Titles: Clinical Professor, Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC)

Dr. Henschke is a leading expert in diagnostic radiology with more than 25 years of clinical and research experience with low-dose CT screening. She pioneered the use of CT screening for lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. She was the principal investigator for the New York Early Lung Cancer Action Program, which demonstrated that low-dose CT screening on patients with high risk for lung cancer has the potential to markedly increase the detection of small early stage lung cancer. Dr. Henschke leads one of the largest lung cancer screening programs in the US and oversees an international registry of more than 80,000 lung cancer-screening patients.

Fred Hirsch, MD, PhD

Titles: Joe Lowe and Louis Price Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Pathology, Molecular and Cell Based Medicine; Executive Director, Center for Thoracic Oncology; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Clinical Investigation (CCI)Dr. Hirsch has been working in clinical and translational research of lung cancer for more than 25 years developing targeted therapies and early detection of lung cancer. His research has helped identify and validate prognostic markers for lung cancer outcomes, biomarkers for personalized lung cancer therapies that show how these therapies work, and who will most likely benefit from them. He is currently leading a team of lung cancer researchers in a study to explore therapeutic approaches to lung tumors with specific oncogenic mutations, which could significantly impact a large population of cancer patients who lack effective treatment options.

Benjamin Hopkins, PhD

Titles: Assistant Professor, Genomics and Genetic Sciences, Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Mechanisms (CM)

Dr. Hopkins studies cellular signaling with an emphasis on how systemic metabolism regulates key oncogenic pathways. The goal of his lab is to understand the molecular mechanisms that lead to drug sensitivity so they can be leveraged in the clinic to improve patient outcomes. His group focuses on breast, lung and pancreatic cancer. Dr. Hopkins is currently the co-leader of a team of lung cancer researchers exploring therapeutic approaches to lung tumors with specific oncogenic mutations, which could significantly impact a large population of cancer patients who lack effective treatment options.

Thomas Marron, MD, PhD

Titles: Associate Professor, Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Clinical Investigation (CCI)

Thomas Marron is the Director of the Early Phase Trials Unit at the Tisch Cancer Institute, and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Marron is involved in over four dozen clinical trials focused on advancing the field of cancer immunotherapy, but in the era before immuno-oncology became mainstream, Dr. Marron studied pathways integral to modulating the priming—or “education”—of the immune system. Now he uses his understanding of those pathways to developing cancer vaccines and new techniques to activate anti-tumor immunity based on our scientific advances in basic immunology. As a member of the Tisch Cancer Institute and the Immunology Institute, he works closely with basic scientists across the Health System, translating pre-clinical findings into clinical trials. He develops trials that not only bring patients new therapeutic approaches but also provide tissue biopsies, blood and stool to laboratory scientists to study dynamic changes induced by novel immunotherapies. The goal of this work is not only to help patients enrolled in trials today, but to help future generations by spanning the chasm between scientists and physicians with a bench-to-bedside-to-bench-to-bedside approach. Only by understanding how these agents work in vivo, in humans through deep immune profiling of patient responses will we be able to use them in a personalized approach, identifying optimal therapeutic approaches to increase the response rates and durability of novel immune-based therapies, while minimizing toxicity.

Charles Powell, MD, MBA

Titles: Professor, Medicine; System Division Chief, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine; Medical Director, Respiratory Therapy; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Clinical Investigation (CCI)

Dr. Powell’s lab studies the onset and progression of lung adenocarcinoma. He also directs research programs focused on early detection of lung interstitial disease and airways disease. In a recent study, Dr. Powell published data providing one of the most comprehensive analyses of interstitial lung disease diagnosis and treatment in patients who received an antibody drug conjugate known as T-DXd, from a class of drugs designed as a targeted therapy for treating cancers. Dr. Powell is also the CEO of the Mount Sinai-National Jewish Health Respiratory Institute, which provides multidisciplinary care and applies precision medicine for the treatment of respiratory disease.

Rajwanth Veluswamy, MD

Title: Assistant Professor, Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Programs: Cancer Clinical Investigation (CCI)

Dr. Veluswamy is an oncologist with expertise in lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies (thymoma, mesothelioma). His research focuses on understanding the factors responsible for clinical outcomes in lung cancer patients, from patterns of care to differences in therapeutic drug efficacy. His clinical interest involves providing personalized treatment for each patient and he is dedicated to providing compassionate care to improve the lives of his patients and their families. Dr. Veluswamy is the co-leader of an initiative, funded by Stand Up To Cancer, that will use an artificial intelligence-assisted smartphone and web-based app to monitor the side effects of immunotherapy treatment in underserved minority patients with lung cancer in New York City. He is also working on understanding and improving immunotherapy outcomes in women with lung cancer, through a grant funded by the Lung Cancer Research Foundation.

Hideo Watanabe, MD, PhD

Titles: Associate Professor, Medicine, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Mechanisms (CM)

Dr. Watanabe’s research focuses on understanding the transcriptional programs of lung cancer. He uses state-of-the-art epigenomic technologies to study the factors that control the identity of lung cells in adults and how these factors may contribute to the complexity and variability of lung cancers. These studies could help provide a foundation for developing new lung cancer diagnostics and therapeutics.

Sundar Jagannath, MBBS

Titles: Professor, Medicine; Hematology and Medical Oncology; Director, Center of Excellence for Multiple Myeloma; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Clinical Investigation (CCI)

Dr. Jagannath is a board-certified specialist in internal medicine and medical oncology and a renowned expert in the research and treatment of multiple myeloma. He has led many clinical trials that focused on identifying novel therapies for the treatment of multiple myeloma and bone marrow transplantation. As the Director of the Center of Excellence for Multiple Myeloma, Dr. Jagannath leads a team of internationally recognized physicians to provide comprehensive, compassionate care for patients with multiple myeloma and related diseases and to advance innovative research and personalized treatments that lead to cures.

Alessandro Laganà, PhD

Titles: Assistant Professor, Oncological Sciences, Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Clinical Investigation (CCI)

Dr. Laganà’s main research interests are in the field of integrative cancer genomics, cancer network biology and precision oncology, with a particular focus on Multiple Myeloma, a malignancy of bone marrow plasma cells. He is leading the development of a precision medicine pipeline for the treatment of relapsed multiple myeloma patients. Research from his lab has helped generate a computational model that can identify specific genes and genetic alterations responsible for different subtypes of multiple myeloma related to a risk of relapse, which has the potential to the identification of targeted therapies for specific patient subgroups.

Samir Parekh, MD

Titles: Professor, Medicine; Hematology and Medical Oncology, Oncological Sciences; Director, Translational Research in Multiple Myeloma; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Programs: Cancer Clinical Investigation (CCI); Cancer Immunology (CI)

Dr. Parekh is a physician-scientist with extensive experience in the pathogenesis of hematologic malignancies. His research focuses on developing novel, precision-medicine therapies for the treatment of multiple myeloma. By using genomic data, Dr. Parekh’s lab is identifying new drivers to understand myeloma better, find treatments for patients and determine the impact of genomics of the tumor on its surrounding microenvironment.

Matthew Galsky, MD

Titles: Professor, Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology; Director, Genitourinary Medical Oncology; Co-Director, Center of Excellence for Bladder Cancer; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Clinical Investigation (CCI)

Dr. Galsky is a medical oncologist specializing in the cancer of patients with genitourinary malignancies – bladder, prostate, kidney, and testicular cancer.  His research centers on team science-based approaches to dissecting the mechanistic underpinnings of response and resistance to novel bladder cancer therapies with a particular focus on immunotherapeutic approaches. He has led many clinical trials that focused on identifying novel therapies for bladder cancer.

Robert J. Klein, PhD

Titles: Associate Professor, Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC)

Dr. Klein’s research is on the role of genetics in prostate cancer. As most prostate cancer grows slowly and may not even require treatment, his current research focuses on the identification of genetic factors to predict which men are most likely to die from prostate cancer.  He conducts these studies by analyzing the DNA in blood samples taken in studies of the general population and following participants in these studies to see which men develop prostate cancer and the course of disease. 

Natasha Kyprianou, MBBS, PhD

Languages spoken: English, Greek, French
Titles: Professor, Urology, Oncological Sciences, and Pathology & Cell-Based Medicine; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Mechanisms (CM)

Dr. Kyprianou is a translational researcher in urologic oncology with expertise in the pathobiology of prostate, bladder and kidney cancer. Her research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of prostate cancer progression to metastasis and apoptosis-driven molecular therapeutics that target urologic tumors. Her work has provided novel insights on the mechanisms of therapeutic resistance in advanced lethal disease and helped improve the clinical management of patients with advanced prostate cancer towards increased patient survival.

Nihal Mohamed, PhD

Titles: Associate Professor, Urology; Director of Evaluation and Training, Center for Scientific Diversity; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC)

Dr. Mohamed’s expertise is in illness and risk perception, patient-provider communication, health-related quality of life and emotional adjustment following cancer diagnosis and treatment. Her work focuses on the assessment of cognitive and affective factors influencing treatment decision making and the development of applied psychosocial interventions to improve quality of life and post-treatment healthcare among prostate and bladder cancer patients and their caregivers. She also conducts research to understand the drivers of health disparities in underserved cancer patient populations.

John Sfakianos, MD

Languages spoken: English, Greek
Titles: Assistant Professor, Urology and Urologic Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Clinical Investigation (CCI)

Dr. Sfakianos is a urologist, conducts research on urologic malignancies, including prostate, kidney, bladder and testicular cancer, and treats urologic conditions using open, laparoscopic and robotic techniques. His work focuses on the approach to treating urothelial and prostate cancers in personalized medicine, including genomic analyses of tumors and predicting risk and response to therapy. Using this approach, Dr. Sfakianos provides a patient-centric, personalized treatment to optimize patient outcomes.

Ashutosh Tewari, MD

Titles: Professor and System Chair, Milton and Carroll Petrie Department of Urology; Director, Center of Excellence for Prostate Cancer; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Programs: Cancer Clinical Investigation (CCI)

Dr. Tewari is a world-renowned urologist and prostate cancer specialist and leads a multidisciplinary team committed to improving prostate cancer treatment, research, and education. His clinical expertise in prostate cancer include targeted biopsies, cystoscopies, robotic prostatectomies, as well as the management of active surveillance prostate cancer patients. Through his clinical work, he has introduced innovative nerve-sparing prostate surgery techniques that have helped several prostate cancer patients achieve optimal oncological outcomes and maintenance of continence and sexual function. His lab works on unlocking the genomic causes of prostate cancer and translating genomic information to practical physician application through imaging. Dr. Tewari has led several clinical trials to advance the development of neoadjuvant immunotherapy approaches for personalized treatments in prostate cancer patients. He has been leading a new initiative, the Mount Sinai Robert F. Smith Mobile Prostate Cancer Screening Unit, to raise awareness, and access to screening and testing for prostate cancer in the Black community.

Nina Bickell, MD, MPH

Languages spoken: English, Spanish, Hebrew
Titles: Professor, Population Health Science and Policy, General Internal Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC)

Dr. Bickell conducts research on assessing causes of and creating interventions to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in cancer care; improving the quality, continuity, and coordination of care; community engaged research and social determinants of health. Dedicated to community health improvement, Dr. Bickell founded the Tisch Cancer Institute Cancer Care Accelerator program to prioritize key challenges and potential solutions for cancer disparities and accelerate health equity. She currently leads the Stand Up to Cancer Health Equity Breakthrough Team and collaborates with New York institutions to address disparities in the participation of Black, indigenous, and people of color in cancer clinical trials.

Michael Buckstein, MD, PhD

Titles: Associate Professor and Vice Chair for Education, Radiation Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Clinical Investigation (CCI)

Dr. Buckstein is a radiation oncologist specializing in the treatment of gastrointestinal tumors including esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, gall bladder, bile ducts, rectum, and anus as well as coronary brachytherapy. He has a particular interest in liver and bile duct cancers, and how radiation can be used to treat these malignancies. He also does research on how the immune system interacts with radiation therapy to fight cancer.

Kavita Dharmarajan, MD

Titles: Associate Professor, Radiation Oncology, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control

Dr. Dharmarajan is a radiation oncologist and has worked extensively with vulnerable patient populations including those with multiple myeloma, and older adults. Her research involves examining patient decision-making in advanced cancer patients considering palliative radiotherapy. Her clinical work is focused on providing radiation treatment for metastatic cancers and multiple myeloma using a patient-centered approach. She developed one of the first care delivery models in the nation to provide specialized care for patients diagnosed with advanced or incurable cancers.

Emily Jane Gallagher, MD, PhD

Titles: Assistant Professor, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Diseases; Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Programs: Cancer Mechanisms (CM) 

Dr. Gallagher’s research focuses on understanding why people with diabetes and obesity are more likely to develop certain cancers, and why cancers behave more aggressively in people with these conditions. Her studies involve detailed examination of the effects of specific types of cholesterol/ fat molecules, and insulin on cancer growth and spread, as well as determining how to reverse these effects. As diabetes and obesity occur at different frequencies in different racial groups, she is applying the knowledge gained from her molecular research to understand how they may contribute to racial disparities in cancer survival. Dr. Gallagher has an active clinical practice where she treats obesity, diabetes and other endocrine conditions in people with cancer. As director of the Research Pathway for the Internal Medicine Residency Program, she is also dedicated to training the next generation of physician-scientists.

Ernesto Guccione, PhD

Language spoken: English, Italian, Spanish
Titles: Professor, Oncological Sciences, Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Mechanisms (CM)

Dr. Guccione’s lab focuses on understanding the basic mechanisms of transcriptional and post-translational regulation in order to identify therapeutic opportunities in oncology. By using a range of techniques and approaches, his lab has shown the mechanism of action of specific proteins that are associated with cancer development and have shown great potential for cancer therapies. The goal of the lab is to develop innovative and personalized therapies for cancer patients.

Steven H. Itzkowitz, MD

Title: Professor, Medicine, Gastroenterology, Oncological Sciences, and Medical Education, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC)

Dr. Itzkowitz is a gastroenterologist and conducts research focused on reducing disparities in colorectal cancer, developing new non-invasive stool DNA tests to screen colon cancer, and detecting and preventing colon cancer in high-risk individuals. He spearheaded efforts to secure NCI funding for the East Harlem Partnership for Cancer Awareness: a program based at Mount Sinai, designed to raise awareness in the East Harlem community regarding the risks and treatment for several common cancers including colon cancer. He is a past Co-Chair of the Citywide Colorectal Cancer Control Coalition (C5) that has improved the overall colonoscopy-screening rate in NYC, accompanied by a sustained elimination of disparities based on ethnicity. He was a member of the Colorectal Cancer Screening Subcommittee of the President's Cancer Panel, and is the current Chair of the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable. 

Jenny J. Lin, MD

Title: Professor, Medicine, General Internal Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC)

Dr. Lin is a primary care physician and Professor in the Department of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.  She has been a clinician-educator at the residency and medical school levels and is currently a clinician-investigator with funding from the American Cancer Society, National Cancer Institute and PCORI.  Her primary research examines how health beliefs affect how cancer survivors manage their other comorbid illnesses, particularly diabetes and hypertension. She has also done research in how patient-related factors, such as health beliefs and mistrust of the medical community, may be associated with health disparities in cancer care as well as patient and clinician factors affecting telemedicine use in primary care.

Jamilia Sly, PhD

Title: Assistant Professor, Population Health Science, and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC)

Dr. Sly is a community psychologist and conducts research on health disparities in cancer prevention and control. Her research is focused on understanding how psychological and social barriers may be understood in the context of developing clinical and community-based interventions to reduce and ultimately eliminate disparities in cancer mortality. Dr. Sly is experienced in collaborating with community-based organizations in New York City on research and educational outreach efforts.

Jeffrey Weiss, PhD, MS

Language spoken: English, Dutch
Titles: Associate Professor, Medicine, General Internal Medicine; Assistant Professor, Psychiatry; Director, REACH Program; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC)

Dr. Weiss is a clinical psychologist providing care to patients with infectious diseases and conducts research on how behavioral interventions can improve their quality of life. In collaboration with the NYC Hepatitis C Task Force, he developed the Psychosocial Readiness Evaluation and Preparation for Hepatitis C Treatment (PREP-C; prepc.org), a structured clinical assessment to evaluate potential barriers to hepatitis C treatment adherence and develop a treatment plan to address them.